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Baby, It’s Cold Outside!

This just in from A Fancy Word for Simple:

According to the nerdy meteorologist’s best estimates, the temperature here will not be above zero at all today. And probably not tomorrow either. I’m not even going to mention how cold it is supposed to be with the wind chill. It will frighten even the toughest person.

I didn’t even consider the fact that cold temperatures make for a really unsafe environment for kiddos to attend school. Not until this very morning when my phone rang at 5:45 a.m. In a teacher’s house, a 5:45 a.m. phone call can only mean one thing. . . . SNOW DAY!

You learn at a very young age that, besides the obvious Christmas break, summer, chicken pox epidemic, and the time when you realize the smelly kid who picks his boogers and eats them is sick, Snow Days are the best damn thing to happen to your school year.
-Chad Stevenson

Seriously. There is nothing better than a snow day, not even summer vacation. I so wasn’t expecting to have off work today, but guess what?!? I do. I imagine this is what it would be like to have a surprise eighth day in the week. I wasn’t expecting it. I don’t have anything planned. It’s just an entire day to do exactly what I want to. I just won’t think about the fact that this means there’s an extra day tacked on to the end of the year. . .

What would you do with an entire unexpected day off? What is your favorite childhood snow day memory? What’s the weather like where you are?

Freezing Cold!!! The worst thing that can happen in a teachers’ house is when one gets a snow (cold) day and the other doesn’t. Tracy works for an urban district where almost everyone walks. I work for a suburban district where almost everyone rides a bus. Still this morning (a big 5 degrees—no wind chill figured in) was too cold even to wait for a bus, but nonetheless my school district was open. Imagine my surprise, however, when I open the door to my classroom and it’s a big 48 degrees! Effectively no heat—not anywhere on my side of the hall. I have, however, the only regular classroom on that side. The rest are special areas, special ed offices, etc. So my 21 fifth graders and I shlepped around trying to find empty spaces that were big enough to accommodate us. We spent most of the day doing our work in the library. We actually got a lot done, but by the end of the day I was truly exhausted. The kids were great. I hope there’s heat tomorrow as there’s not supposed to be much relief in the cold weather.

Updated:  Just got a phone call from a colleague. They’ve already canceled school in my district for tomorrow!! Amazing–the first snow (cold) day we’ve had in 2 1/2 years. So what will I do with my day? Read, scrap, grade some papers, and go to the gym at a decent hour instead of 5 am.

Satisfying Day

Gave up all school work today except for typing up a class list for the Valentine’s Day party. In exchange, I made my journal for my first ever Circle Journal about to begin on the 15th. It’s my first experience with a circle journal and I’m anxious to see how it all works out. I still need to do the introduction, directions, sign-in pages and my layout. There are nine women in the group–none of whom I know–the internet is so cool that way. Two are in Canada and the rest of us make a big circle around the U.S. When mine leaves in 10 days it won’t be back until November. The journal is based on the Ali Edwards challenge to choose a word for the year. Each of us will do a layout based on the journal owner’s word. I hope it doesn’t turn out to be too overwhelming. Also finished a two page layout for Sarah’s birthday album–started it months ago and couldn’t get it to come together. I’m pleased with the result today. Sometimes it pays to let things rest a while. Finished another layout for the DW 2007 Challenge and a thank you card for a friend. I would love to have this kind of time more often!

Got Mess?

Here’s another quote and prompt from A Fancy Word for Simple that spoke to me:

One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.
-A. A. Milne

I heard yesterday that January is organization month. Wish someone would have told me a little closer to the beginning of the month! The report said that someone with a messy desk is 36% more productive than someone who is exceptionally tidy.

Beyond your desk, what’s your style? Messy? Organized? Organized piles of mess? (This might be a good one to document with photos.)

I make a huge mess when I scrap—probably because I have way too much stuff and not a lot of desk space. There are usually piles all over the desk and floor. But it definitely does not stay that way. I frequently put everything away in between layouts, and I definitely clean up before I leave my study. That said, I’m an organization freak! I was positively thrilled the first time I went into a Container Store. It’s a good thing there isn’t one anywhere near me. However, thanks to the Container Store (a must stop every time we travel) I am able to organize my stash in a relatively small space. I was also excited when someone somewhere referred to organizing as a hobby. That would be one of mine. Outside my study, it’s no different—my classroom, my house, my cupboards, my drawers—all organized. And I’m always on the lookout for new and better ways to do it. Looking back at the quote, I guess my exciting discoveries may be few and far between—but I’m content not to have a mess.

Perhaps some photos on the weekend.

Food for Thought

A new quote from A Fancy Word for Simple:

Around my house, Sundays are a big food day. I love to cook and having a whole day to work on a meal is a real treat for me. I know a lot of us maybe have resolutions to trim our waistlines or watch our calories… so fess up and tell me about your relationship with food!__

The only time to eat diet food is while you’re waiting for the steak to cook — Julia Child.

Actually, I prefer cheese and crackers and a glass of wine while I’m waiting for the steak to cook. Yesterday was my day in the kitchen. The cold weather makes me want to cook comfort food so I made pumpkin muffins (recipe courtesy of my daughter and filled with good things like whole wheat flour and wheat germ). They are delicious. I bought a giant muffin tin so we had six giant muffins, six regular muffins and a small loaf. Half went in the freezer. I also made a huge pot of roasted beef barbeque. So yummy and just the thing for a cold winter’s night. Some of that went in the freezer too.

Right now, I’m following some advice in Bob Greene’s new book. I’m not changing WHAT I eat, but trying not to eat after 7:30 at night, trying not to snack (except the cheese and crackers, of course), and I’ve doubled the time I’m doing aerobics at the gym. I’m waiting for results. Most likely, the cheese and crackers should go.

Winter II

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We had a real cold snap here this week. Low teens and single digit temperatures and slow, but steady, snow accumulation. Today was a bit warmer and as I went out to get the mail a beautiful cardinal was sitting on our bird feeder. My presence sent him off to the bush near the road and there was no way he was going to let me get very close. But I did get this shot of him.

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I found these at the grocery store and couldn’t resist them. Last year the tulips lasted nearly a week so here’s to a few days of looking at spring–at least in the dining room.

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What do you see?

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From a Fancy Word for Simple:

You can observe a lot just by watching.

-Yogi Berra

Watch carefully today. What do you see?

Before I even saw the quote, I had taken this picture of the sun rising outside our bedroom window. On  a normal day, I wouldn’t have been in bed to watch, let alone get up to take a photo. One of the pleasures of a winter Sunday. Not as sharp as I would like but it captures the frosty window. Winter is definitely here.

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Collection

Big Picture Scrapbooking has a new website and a new feature. Each week they post some color inspiration and each day there is a new quote. I’ve saved several of them but today’s quote speaks to my "mantra" for the year "Relax, don’t worry." I think I’ll start a collection of relaxation quotes.

                    Don’t hurry, don’t worry. And be sure to smell the flowers
                    along the way.                                                 ― Walter Hagen

                   

A New Quote from A Fancy Word for Simple

January 19: Deep Thought (for a Friday)

There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.
-Andrew Jackson

I originally had a different quote picked out for today, a very serious quote about trusting in yourself to make tough choices. As appropriate as it would have been for today, I needed to be a little less serious.

I often catch myself with tons to do on Friday (the things I put off all week). It’s so difficult to get those things done when all I can think about is the end of the day.

Geez—I can’t even imagine having fun NOT doing what I need to do. There are plenty of times I don’t do what needs to be done, and some of those times I play, but there’s always a nagging sense of guilt that stays with me until the things that need to be done are done. How does someone get like this? What did my parents do that make me feel this way? Or was it my parents at all? I don’t think my younger brother has these problems. This is a quote that puzzles me. In fact, I can’t even imagine having nothing to do. What a concept!

Winter

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Our holly bush is covered in ice. Fortunately, we–unlike many others–have not lost power and the roads here have not been too bad. We got out to see Dreamgirls with friends of ours this afternoon. A perfect ending to a three-day weekend.

Ali Edward’s challenge this week was to find the definition and perhaps a quotation to go with your word for 2007. I love the quotation I found on Inspiration Peak and made a card for my bulletin board. It hangs right over where I work every night.

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Rest & Relaxation

Today’s journaling quote from A Fancy Word for Simple was so perfect:

Aaaahhhh. Sunday. A day for rest, family, quiet (and maybe a little laundry thrown in for good measure). Sundays are sacred at my house – and not only for religious reasons. For me, it is perfect to have a day devoted to your home, husband, and self. That brings me to today’s quote:

There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden, or even your bathtub.–Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

What are your relaxation rituals? Do you have any failure proof techniques? Will you allow yourself the time and space to relax?

Relax is the word I chose for my Ali Edward’s challenge to choose a word for 2007. It’s something I know HOW to do, but am not always successful at doing. I let work and other obligations consume me both in terms of time and psychologically. Last week was no exception. I spent almost all of my free time doing school work. I learned years ago that a teacher’s job is never done—there is always more you can do, but I continually forget to just STOP!

When I remember to stop, the two best ways for me to let the worries and work go is to get involved in a creative project—making a card, creating a scrapbook layout, taking photographs—or reading. They are truly my ways to escape!

I’ve been reading some great books I ordered recently to stimulate my creativity and take it and my journaling in some new directions. Living Out Loud by Keri Smith has been on my wish list at Amazon for over a year, The Creativity Book by Eric Maisel I read about on Ali’s blog, and How to Make a Journal of Your Life by d. price I found as I was wandering around Amazon. I’m reading bits of all of them and finding some inspiration in them all as well.

Relax Part 2

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I took some time last night to create a layout for Ali’s challenge to choose a word for 2007. In the spirit of relaxation I chose some bright and funky colors–not my usual choice, but there are no photographs so the sky’s the limit. I’m using a new scanning program and getting a bit of a white line on the right hand side. This challenge has prompted hundreds of people to choose a word and create some kind of art to represent it. You can see the amazing list of words people have chosen here.

Relax

In the same spirit of relaxation, my friend Mary and I went to see Queen yesterday afternoon. It’s a wonderful movie and Helen Mirren is superb in her role as Queen Elizabeth 2. Off to grade a huge pile of papers–the antidote to relaxation!

Relax

Ever since I read Ali’s aezine newsletter this week, I’ve been thinking (and talking about) what word I could choose for 2007 that would help me leave my incessant “worrying” behind. I have been the family worrier for so many years, that to eliminate it from my life is probably not a realistic goal. But I would love to let a lot of it go. As both of my children can tell you, a lot of it is unnecessary and, perhaps even ridiculous. So the first word that popped to mind was CALM. But this word didn’t prompt action that would help me in reaching a calmer state. My daughter suggested PLAY, commenting that it is easier to do something than to try and be something. Hopefully, playing would bring calm. But that didn’t seem quite right either. Today, I looked through my collection of Making Memory definition stickers. I came upon RELAX:  1. To relase tension 2. to rest from work 3. to be at ease 4. to release physical or mental pressures from oneself, and I knew I had found my word. RELAX, enjoy, read, create, play. . . relax covers a lot of territory. If I relax more, hopefully, I will worry less. It’s a good goal. A page for my scrapbook to come later today. . .

January 1

Here’s the first prompt from a new site called “A Fancy Name for Simple.” I’ve decided I won’t put the pressure on to respond every day, but I have enjoyed the daily prompts for the Christmas Journal I participated in and thought I would give this a try as well.

January 1, 2007

I wanted a perfect ending. . . Now I’ve learned, the hard way, that some poems don’t rhyme, and some stories don’t have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what’s going to happen next. Delicious ambiguity.
-Gilda Radner

Today is filled with “delicious ambiguity” as all of 2007 sits in the future. How do you approach a new year? What are your hopes, dreams, and plans for the year? What do you want to leave behind about last year?

I would love to leave worrying behind. I am a compulsive worry wart—drive everyone in my family crazy with it. I have analyzed it and I understand it, but I haven’t been able to drop it! I worry no matter how well things are going. 2006 was a very good year for our family. Sarah married a great guy, the wedding was beautiful, Matt was incredibly successful in school, and we all had good health, We have jobs we like, though we’d like jobs we could leave at the workplace.

I am a goal setter and a list maker—probably goes with the compulsive worrying. The last couple of years I made little books with my goals for the year. I did pretty well in meeting my goals this year—especially in the area of fitness. I’ve been getting to the gym 4-5 times a week since August and for the first time in my life, I go because it makes me feel better instead of dragging myself there because I “ought to.” I wrote in my journal almost every day until October, but then had a two month spell of no interest. I’m anxious to get back to it this year. There are still areas to work on and I’m trying to decide it I’ll write them in my journal or do another little book. I do like the idea of a fresh start and as a school teacher always feel like I get two of them—one in September and another one on New Year’s.

Happy New Year

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Happy New Year!! It’s always hard to me to believe how fast the last year has gone. But here we are–2007–and this is the last day of vacation. It’s been a wonderful break and I am not quite ready to return to the demands of test prep and stacks of papers to grade. The planning and the teaching I enjoy! One of the greatest enjoyments of December was the Christmas Journal project. I have enjoyed every minute of this project–thinking about what our traditions and customs mean to me, observing the incredible creativity of others who were involved in the project, and the creation of each page. Loved it all. Thanks to everyone who visited the blog, commented, or sent me email. Your kind comments were so appreciated. I didn’t always make use of Shimelle’s artistic ideas, but glitter seemed appropriate for New Year’s Eve so this page has a lot more bling than I am accustomed to. Here’s the final page:

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Recap 2006

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As one of my resolutions for 2006, I kept a little calendar I made with a Sweetwater kit and recorded the cards, layouts, and projects I completed during the year. A few months ago, Ali Edwards suggested in one of her newsletters to recap a month in a layout and I started an 8X8 album with a page for each month. For the last 20 years I have kept a record of the books I read each year. So Shimelle’s suggestion to play "the numbers game" appealed to me. Here’s my version for December 30th:

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Despite efforts to correct it, the scan is a bit crooked. It’s better IRL. The tag on the left side of the page lists the specific movies we saw and the names of all the BPS classes I took and how I did with each of them.